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Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere
2021 Best Indie Book Award Winner (short stories)
2021 International Rubery Book Award Nominee
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist
Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere is a collection of short fiction set in Japan and in seven other countries around the world. Driven by characters who are tough, gritty, charming and witty, each of the sixteen tales takes the reader on a trip which ends with a twist.
Six of the stories are set in Japan, and the others in Hong Kong, East Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, France, Austria and Cambodia. The stories carry themes of freedom, family, redemption, justice, courage, corruption, girl power, but mostly triumph over adversity.
2021 International Rubery Book Award Nominee
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist
Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere is a collection of short fiction set in Japan and in seven other countries around the world. Driven by characters who are tough, gritty, charming and witty, each of the sixteen tales takes the reader on a trip which ends with a twist.
Six of the stories are set in Japan, and the others in Hong Kong, East Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, France, Austria and Cambodia. The stories carry themes of freedom, family, redemption, justice, courage, corruption, girl power, but mostly triumph over adversity.
- GenresFiction
ebook
Published January 10, 2021
3 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rowe
8 books33 followersSimon Rowe has lived in Japan for more than 28 years, winning numerous awards for his short fiction and screenplays, including Good Night Papa (2013 Asian Short Screenplay Contest) and Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere (2021 Best Indie Book Award).
His stories about Japanese life and culture have appeared in The Paris Review, the New York Times, TIME (Asia), the South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, The Australian, and the Australian Financial Review
He is originally from New Zealand.
His stories about Japanese life and culture have appeared in The Paris Review, the New York Times, TIME (Asia), the South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, The Australian, and the Australian Financial Review
He is originally from New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 4, 2022
These are ambitious, highly accomplished, unique and fascinating, and often beautifully told stories. Rowe shows himself in full control as a storyteller, no matter the situations he presents, and no matter his characters and their highly diverse backgrounds. Why Rowe’s fiction isn’t better known is both a mystery and a shame. Entirely deserving of the 2021 Independent Book Award in Fiction (and then some). I eagerly await more of Rowe’s work.
March 12, 2021
This is Simon Rowe's recently released collection of short stories follow his first volume “Good Night Papa: Short Stories from Japan and Elsewhere” published in 2017. The author, who is from New Zealand, has lived in Himeji, Japan for most of his adult life, and brings us eight stories from Japan and eight from other countries including Hong Kong, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, France, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.
From hit-men to convenience store clerks and shipping agents, Rowe covers the gamut of jobs and employees in his stories, but focuses mostly on lonely individuals pursuing more meaning to life, a goal often fulfilled in the most unexpected ways: A wraith visits a man seeking an answer to wild boars stealing his vegetables, a young salary man is confronted by another perusing his same dream of travel over the Inland Sea as depicted on a travel poster, and, in one of the author’s many delightful incongruities, a young woman in Paris escapes death by coming down with brain cancer.
Most of these tales are about normal people meeting with extraordinary, but believable, circumstances. While Rowe’s story-telling is polished and his prose descriptive, what keeps the reader turning the page is the authenticity of his story lines and his ability to challenge the reader with the question: How is the protagonist going to get out of this one? The answer is: With surprising twists and endings that make you chuckle.
You won’t find down-and-out, desperate characters in this collection; instead you’ll find people looking out for each other, some trying to extend good-will and others determining to make their dreams come true. You know, people like you and me.
From hit-men to convenience store clerks and shipping agents, Rowe covers the gamut of jobs and employees in his stories, but focuses mostly on lonely individuals pursuing more meaning to life, a goal often fulfilled in the most unexpected ways: A wraith visits a man seeking an answer to wild boars stealing his vegetables, a young salary man is confronted by another perusing his same dream of travel over the Inland Sea as depicted on a travel poster, and, in one of the author’s many delightful incongruities, a young woman in Paris escapes death by coming down with brain cancer.
Most of these tales are about normal people meeting with extraordinary, but believable, circumstances. While Rowe’s story-telling is polished and his prose descriptive, what keeps the reader turning the page is the authenticity of his story lines and his ability to challenge the reader with the question: How is the protagonist going to get out of this one? The answer is: With surprising twists and endings that make you chuckle.
You won’t find down-and-out, desperate characters in this collection; instead you’ll find people looking out for each other, some trying to extend good-will and others determining to make their dreams come true. You know, people like you and me.
June 24, 2021
Simon Rowe's second collection of short stories is (as was the first) an enjoyable and relaxing read.
Like a modern-day Hemingway, Rowe takes us to exotic locations, which are all the more desirable in this no travel covid world. And when by chance you have actually been to the location of his stories, the stories come alive and become your own.
I expect to see Rowe's name up in lights one of these days.
Like a modern-day Hemingway, Rowe takes us to exotic locations, which are all the more desirable in this no travel covid world. And when by chance you have actually been to the location of his stories, the stories come alive and become your own.
I expect to see Rowe's name up in lights one of these days.
April 9, 2024
This short story collection opens with the superb Pearl City. Within a few lines I was transported into a scene that came alive on the page, sitting on the leather sofa with private investigator Mami Suzuki, finding out with her what her brief is and listening to her crack jokes. I was delighted to be taking every step with her as she got stuck into her investigation. Even though I've been to Kobe several times, there is something seductive in the way Rowe writes about it that made me want to visit again, soon. Other favorite reads in the collection were the atmospheric Spirited Away and heartwarming Zero Plus Two. Holiday is a story which will resonate with anyone who is "krill" in a company in Japan, or a company anywhere for that matter. I read it on the morning train to work, thinking I was going to regret doing so, however the uplifting twist at the end meant I got to the office with a smile on my face. This collection is a wonderful read and I look forward to catching up with Mami Suzuki’s other investigative work.
January 4, 2025
Really well done. I felt like I was being transported to all sorts of unique places. The author described them so well and captivated the reader in a very short amount of time. Short stories like these are what the word needs more of. Looking forward to reading more of Simon Rowe's work in the near future!
July 22, 2021
Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2021
This is a wonderful set of short stories that cross the world in settings and themes, through Japan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Australia and many other places. The opening story, Pearl City, sets the tone with a single parent brought in to find out who is stealing pearls from Tokai Pearl. It’s a place where thousands of pearls are sorted, and in the course of the investigation, we are taken through the back streets of Kobe. Never Say Goodbye explores the life of a young woman with brain cancer, whose operation prevents her from joining her friends on a longed-for mountain climb. This is a book of the unexpected, where another woman, an airline pilot, is inspired by her grandfather, a Japanese fighter pilot in the second world war, where a hit-man is ambushed by his love for oysters. Simon Rowe brings to life an impressive variety of nuanced characters and cultures. Every detail is mesmerising and nothing is predictable.
This is a wonderful set of short stories that cross the world in settings and themes, through Japan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Australia and many other places. The opening story, Pearl City, sets the tone with a single parent brought in to find out who is stealing pearls from Tokai Pearl. It’s a place where thousands of pearls are sorted, and in the course of the investigation, we are taken through the back streets of Kobe. Never Say Goodbye explores the life of a young woman with brain cancer, whose operation prevents her from joining her friends on a longed-for mountain climb. This is a book of the unexpected, where another woman, an airline pilot, is inspired by her grandfather, a Japanese fighter pilot in the second world war, where a hit-man is ambushed by his love for oysters. Simon Rowe brings to life an impressive variety of nuanced characters and cultures. Every detail is mesmerising and nothing is predictable.
June 22, 2021
An outstanding set of stories set in various locations is itself appealing to me and I thought the author did a job job of making the reader feel a part of each location despite not having much time/many pages to do so. The stories were generally compelling, to the point that I had hoped that a few of them were a little longer and gave me more to read… To me, having lived in Japan, albeit eons ago, the stories set there were particularly of interest but I think the stories overall, would interest almost any reader. A strong recommend here.
January 28, 2022
2021 Best Indie Book Award Winner!
June 24, 2021
A perfect read for any lover of travel. Simon Rowe's particular gift is his depiction of place - you really feel as if you have experienced each setting. I also love his dialogue; he is one of the few male writers who can convincingly write women characters. Five stars!
June 23, 2021
I was so excited to receive my copy of Pearl City having loved Simon's previous work. There's something about the way Simon writes that transports me into his stories like few others can. When you couple that skill with really clever story lines, Pearl City proves to be a truly entertaining read.
February 13, 2021
This is Simon's second volume of short stories, after Goodnight Papa. I thoroughly enjoyed each of 16 the stories. Zero+2 is my favourite. I love the emotions that are evoked in the story. As a geography teacher, I also really enjoyed the geographic nature of the stories. Simon sets the scene in each story wonderfully by detailing the both the human and physical environments, as well as tapping into the cultural aspects of the places. I highly recommend reading this book, as well as Goodnight Papa.
December 22, 2020
A very quirky collection of stories, mainly set in the far east but told in a diverse range of styles and by very different characters. My favourite story is West Wind, a modern twist on a folk tale. The stories are very accessible and a great introduction to Japanese society and culture. The stories remained with me long after reading - a mark of quality and originality.
February 24, 2021
This took me back to the streets of Kobe and Himeji. Such great stories from home (NZ) and all the countries I’ve been to in South East Asia. Brilliant piece of work Simon. Can’t wait for the next set of stories.
December 21, 2020
Excellent book. A great collection of short stories. Highly enjoyable and recommended.
May 4, 2023
I must admit I’m biased. Having lived part of my life in Kobe (Rokko, Seishin, and Suma), there’s a thrill to reading stories set right here at the harbor, or in San-no-miya or Motomachi. Or off in Hyogo countryside around Himeji.
There are plenty of novels set in Tokyo, and fair number tied to Kyoto. But Kobe? I can’t recall any other stories set in the Pearl City despite being the 6th largest city in Japan, bigger than Kyoto. Even Haruki Murakami, who grew up in Kobe, has rarely written of the city.
The collection includes 16 short stories, alternating between settings in Japan and overseas. Most of the stories set outside Japan feature Japanese characters or other connections to Japan.
Unlike most short stories I read nowadays, Rowe’s include not just detailed character descriptions but a narrative with a plot. And where most stories about Japan written in English feature a foreigner as the main character, most of Rowe’s stories are written from the point of view of Japanese characters, told with the authenticity of decades living in Japan.
The title story, the first in the collection, was my favorite. A noir mystery featuring a female private detective named Suzuki hired to look into missing pearls at a sorting center in Kobe is both exacting in its depiction of life among the struggling blue collar workers and a short, enjoyable mystery.
“Convenience Store Ballerina” was also highly memorable long after I’d finished the book. The story of a late night truck driver and the girl who worked the night shift at a conbini to save up for dancing classes oozes with dark atmosphere.
“Atomic” about a Japanese nuclear scientist at a customer meeting in Vienna and the female spy hired to steal his secrets, is brilliantly comic.
A few of the stories involve the supernatural, including a woman who survives a car crash in the Japanese countryside in “West Wind” and a mysterious English teacher in “The Gem Polishing Unit.”
Though the stories cover eight different countries and range from mystery to humor to the supernatural, they fit together well as a whole, united by Rowe’s writing style with its polished gems of description in interesting stories.
I was glad to find it wasn’t just my own bias that caused me to enjoy this collection. The book won the 2021 Best Indie Book Award for best short story collection and was a finalist for the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
I highly recommend this collection to anyone who wants a taste of Japanese life beyond Tokyo, and sometimes beyond Japan itself.
There are plenty of novels set in Tokyo, and fair number tied to Kyoto. But Kobe? I can’t recall any other stories set in the Pearl City despite being the 6th largest city in Japan, bigger than Kyoto. Even Haruki Murakami, who grew up in Kobe, has rarely written of the city.
The collection includes 16 short stories, alternating between settings in Japan and overseas. Most of the stories set outside Japan feature Japanese characters or other connections to Japan.
Unlike most short stories I read nowadays, Rowe’s include not just detailed character descriptions but a narrative with a plot. And where most stories about Japan written in English feature a foreigner as the main character, most of Rowe’s stories are written from the point of view of Japanese characters, told with the authenticity of decades living in Japan.
The title story, the first in the collection, was my favorite. A noir mystery featuring a female private detective named Suzuki hired to look into missing pearls at a sorting center in Kobe is both exacting in its depiction of life among the struggling blue collar workers and a short, enjoyable mystery.
“Convenience Store Ballerina” was also highly memorable long after I’d finished the book. The story of a late night truck driver and the girl who worked the night shift at a conbini to save up for dancing classes oozes with dark atmosphere.
“Atomic” about a Japanese nuclear scientist at a customer meeting in Vienna and the female spy hired to steal his secrets, is brilliantly comic.
A few of the stories involve the supernatural, including a woman who survives a car crash in the Japanese countryside in “West Wind” and a mysterious English teacher in “The Gem Polishing Unit.”
Though the stories cover eight different countries and range from mystery to humor to the supernatural, they fit together well as a whole, united by Rowe’s writing style with its polished gems of description in interesting stories.
I was glad to find it wasn’t just my own bias that caused me to enjoy this collection. The book won the 2021 Best Indie Book Award for best short story collection and was a finalist for the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
I highly recommend this collection to anyone who wants a taste of Japanese life beyond Tokyo, and sometimes beyond Japan itself.
December 27, 2025
In Pearl City, Ms Suzuki is the single mother of a young child, but also a Japanese sleuth who solves cases and still works shifts as a hotel receptionist. She intrigued me. She's a contemporary woman juggling roles. This is the leading short story in Simon Rowe's anthology 'Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere' , and I was delighted to discover Ms Suzuki has travelled into other , longer mediums. She's a credible working mother even with hint of the 'hard boiled detective' drinking habits. But she's not a disillusioned loner. She may have to fold the family clothes or cook weekend meals at her shared home where her mother provides some childcare, but she also makes strategic and intelligent assessments of suspects in business such as the pearl trade.
The strengths of Rowe's writing lie in his keenly observed settings, many in Asian countries where he's previously lived or been a travel journalist. He uses the local terms, but in context. Lots of food.
Characters have realistic flaws, and even the minor personalities are memorable and well distinguished. The writing is tightly crafted with humorous asides.
'Oysters to die for' provides insight into the dark side of a greedy assassin, but with a twist. Hard to make a physically repulsive main character of continuing interest, but....
The variety of settings and mysteries provides insight into contemporary societies likely to be novel for some readers. Others may be pleased that their locations or occupations are included.
'West Wind' is very atmospheric and includes the local mythology.
There's a filmic quality to many of these short stories and cultural subtext which suggests more.
A memorable sleuth like Ms Suzuki could link these settings.
Definitely a writer to follow.
The strengths of Rowe's writing lie in his keenly observed settings, many in Asian countries where he's previously lived or been a travel journalist. He uses the local terms, but in context. Lots of food.
Characters have realistic flaws, and even the minor personalities are memorable and well distinguished. The writing is tightly crafted with humorous asides.
'Oysters to die for' provides insight into the dark side of a greedy assassin, but with a twist. Hard to make a physically repulsive main character of continuing interest, but....
The variety of settings and mysteries provides insight into contemporary societies likely to be novel for some readers. Others may be pleased that their locations or occupations are included.
'West Wind' is very atmospheric and includes the local mythology.
There's a filmic quality to many of these short stories and cultural subtext which suggests more.
A memorable sleuth like Ms Suzuki could link these settings.
Definitely a writer to follow.
January 20, 2022
There's a word in Japanese that means something has a healing effect: iyashikei. Pearl City is an iyashikei book. Does life seem difficult? Immediately run out and get this book. Fix a cup of tea and settle in.
First of all, let's look at the sub-title, "Stories from Japan and Elsewhere." The Japan-based stories were my comfort zone. I know the author has lived for decades in Japan, but I was still amazed at how effortlessly he portrayed Japanese characters, including his female protagonists. I enjoyed the clever twists in settings and plots that were spot on while simultaneously casting all the old cliches to the wind: a hard-boiled female detective with street smarts, and the adoring man who waits for her in bars. What's not to like?
After getting comfortable, it was time for the "and elsewhere," trips to places all over the world. Just what I needed in this pandemic age. I haven't been to most of these places, but the descriptions convinced me that Rowe had. In ten to twenty pages, I got to know and like the characters and, rather than yearning to go to these towns and cities, I was satisfied that I'd been there.
Finally, there is no iyashikei without quality writing. Each of the stories is beautifully written and has an original, very creative plot and surprise conclusion. I read one story a day as a reward to myself for having made it through the day.
So if I had one complaint, what would it be? I was a little confused by the endings of some of the stories. I wanted to call up the author--Zoom would be fine--to talk them through. I realized it would be the perfect wrap-up to my iyashikei experience with Pearl City.
First of all, let's look at the sub-title, "Stories from Japan and Elsewhere." The Japan-based stories were my comfort zone. I know the author has lived for decades in Japan, but I was still amazed at how effortlessly he portrayed Japanese characters, including his female protagonists. I enjoyed the clever twists in settings and plots that were spot on while simultaneously casting all the old cliches to the wind: a hard-boiled female detective with street smarts, and the adoring man who waits for her in bars. What's not to like?
After getting comfortable, it was time for the "and elsewhere," trips to places all over the world. Just what I needed in this pandemic age. I haven't been to most of these places, but the descriptions convinced me that Rowe had. In ten to twenty pages, I got to know and like the characters and, rather than yearning to go to these towns and cities, I was satisfied that I'd been there.
Finally, there is no iyashikei without quality writing. Each of the stories is beautifully written and has an original, very creative plot and surprise conclusion. I read one story a day as a reward to myself for having made it through the day.
So if I had one complaint, what would it be? I was a little confused by the endings of some of the stories. I wanted to call up the author--Zoom would be fine--to talk them through. I realized it would be the perfect wrap-up to my iyashikei experience with Pearl City.
December 14, 2023
Rowe's background as a travel writer comes through in these stories which are carefully situated with specific landmarks and cultural details, whisking the reader to locales such as Cambodia, the Philipines, East Malaysia, and Japan. Most of them have a noirish feel, as you might guess from the cover, though "Crossing the Ditch" is a moving coming-of-age story, about a boy moving from New Zealand to Australia, told in second person. I enjoyed Rowe's solid storytelling, and learning about industries and subcultures I'd never considered. I'm looking forward to reading more by this award-winning author.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews